Folding nest



llg- 11, 1964 T. E. GARRETY 3,144,000

FOLDING NEsT INVENTOR.

THOMAS E.GARRETY ATTORNEYS Aug. 11, 1964 T. EGARRETY 3,144,000

FOLDING NEs':

Filed Jan. 51, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 1l, 1964 T. E. GARRETY3,144,000

FOLDING NEST Filed Jan. 31, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG-H #NN/J1 Uhhvo d?,

FIG-15 I4 Y 76 7.3 V FIG-14 |5 i \======w ze INVEN TOR.

THOMAS E. GARRETY ATTORNEYS Aug. 11, 1964 Filed Jan. 5l, 1962 FIG -16 lOx T. E. GARRETY 3,144,000

FOLDING NEsT 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. THOMAS E. GARRETY ATTORNEYSUnited States Patent O 3,144,000 FOLDING NEST Thomas E. Garrety,Springfield, Dhio, assignor to Buckeye Manufacturing Company, KansasCity, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 31, 1962, Ser. No.170,136 7 Claims. (Cl. 119-45) This invention pertains to nests and moreparticularly to a partially foldable poultry egg laying nest.

The common poultry nest is shipped from the factory in the knocked-downor unassembled condition. Due to the number of parts, such nests havealways been diflicult and time consuming to assemble in the poultryhouse. For example, it is not uncommon for a ten hole hen nest to besupplied with 112 nuts and bolts, and require anywhere from 45 minutesto 11/2 hours to assemble, depending upon the skill and experience ofthe person or persons making the assembly. A large poultry house mayassemble 500 to 600 such nests at a time, and with one man being able toassemble between and 8 such nests a day, it is seen that this results ina considerable investment in labor and time in addition to the purchaseprice of the nest.

It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide apoultry nest of simplified construction which eliminates most of theconnections common to the assembly of ordinary nests and which may beshipped in a partially folded condition resulting in a considerablesavings in labor and time in assembling and erecting. This isaccomplished, in part, by the provision of a folded partition and endWall assembly which may be set up in an operative condition in a singlemovement to provide the basic framework to which the remaining elementsof the nest may be readily and easily assembled.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a nest havingparts thereof which become a permanent attachment to the partitionassembly by the bending of tabs, with the elimination of nut and boltconnections. An advantage of this construction resides in its increasedrigidity over the comparable bolt and nut construction, and increasedcleanliness and safety, characterized by the freedom from objectionableprojecting parts.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a nest having aminimum of differing parts, utilizing parts formed from substantiallyidentical stampings in a plurality of locations,`and which is adapted tobe assembled without bolts using a minimum of common hand tools.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a nest, asoutlined above, which is rigidly self-supporting in the erected positonwherein the components thereof are readily assembled and locked intoengagement forming a rigid self-supporting structure free of removablefastener devices.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description, the accompanying drawings, and the appendedclaims.

In the drawings- FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially broken away toexpose details of construction, of an assembled nest constructedaccording to this invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the folded divider and end wallassembly of this invention, prior to erection, with the right end wallbeing shown in the extended position in broken lines;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of the left end wall and next adjacentdivider of FIG. 2 in the expanded position showing the arrangement ofone of the articulated straps therebetween, with a portion of the strapbeing broken away;

FIG. 4 is a section taken generally along the line 4 4 of FIG. 3;

3,144,000 Patented Aug. 11, 1964 ice of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary view looking into one of the corners made by oneof the ends and one of the front or back members of FIG. 6;

FIG. l0 is a section through the upper perch taken generally along theline 10--10 of FIG. 5;

FIG. l1 is a perspective fragmentary View looking at the inside of thenest top;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary vertical section through the top subsequent toinstallation;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary perspective showing the connection of the topat one of the dividers;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary transverse section through the nest lookinggenerally in the same direction as in FIG. 5 and showing the position ofone of the removable nest bottoms, taken generally along the line 14-14of FIG. 15;

' FIG. 15 is a further section generally along the line 15-15, of FIG.14, with the removable bottom being shown in broken lines prior toinsertion;

FIGS. 16 and 17 are similar respectively to FIGS. 1l and 12 showing amodification of the top portion of the invention;

FIG. 18 is a perspective inside view of one of the modified partitions;and

FIG. 19 is an elevational view of the modified hanger strap used withthe top of FIGS. 16-18.

The views of FIGS. 2-19 are drawn to enlarged scales as compared to`FIG. l for the purpose of clear illustration.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments ofthis invention, an assembled nest constructed according to thisinvention is shown in FIG. 1 as being mounted on a wall 20. A pluralityof such nests may be mounted on a wall or supported on a Hoor or on eachother, as desired. The nest of FIG. l includes ten individual nestingcompartments 22 arranged in two horizontal superimposed rows of iiveeach, although this number and arrangement may vary within the scope andteachings of this invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the principal structural component of the nest ofthis invention consists of a foldable divider and end wall assembly 25.The assembly 25 consists of a plurality of similarly formed verticallyextending partitions 26 which make up the partitions separating theadjacent compartments 12. Two of the partitions 26 form the left andright ends 28 and 29 respectively of the nest.

The partitions 26, including the ends 28 and 29, are each formed withtransversely turned peripheral edges forming anges along the four sidesthereof, with straight sides and a forwardly sloping top. They areconnected to each other by pairs of separate top and bottom straps 30and 31, there being two top straps 30 and two bottom straps 31 extendingbetween each adjacent pairs of the partitions 26.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, it can be seen that the partitions 26 areformed with inwardly turned or flanged edges 34 including hems 35 sothat the edge thereof provides a smooth surface for the entrance to thecompartments 22. The straps 30 and 31 are pivotally mounted on the edges34 of the partitions and end walls by rivets 36, and the straps mayextend from the outer surface of one of the front edges 34 of thepartitions to the inside surface of the next adjacent partition, asshown in FIGS. 2 and 4. Thus, the assembly 25 is movable between acompact folded position with the partitions in contiguous relation, asshown in full lines in FIG. 2, to a spacedapart or open position asshown in FIG. 1, with the spacing being defined by the straps 30 and 31.In the latter condition of assembly, the straps 30 and 31 form top andbottom horizontal extending parallel rows of straps.

The assembly 25 is held and supported in the expanded position by pairsof front and back members, all of substantially identical construction.Two front members are employed in this embodiment, including an upperfront member 40 and a lower front member 41. Identical back members,corresponding to the front members, may be employed as shown in FIG.including an upper back member 44 and a lower back member 45. The frontand back members are supported on, and conceal the respective straps 30and 31 and provide the closures for the nest compartments 22.

An end portion of one of the members is shown in FIG. 6 as having adownwardly turned upper rim 4S which is cut out or notched at 49 toreceive the flanged edges 34 of the partitions 26. The downwardly turnedrim 48 is thus separated into segments, and provides means which areproportioned to be engaged over one of the straps 30 or 31 between thepartitions, as shown in FIG. 7.

The bottom edge of each of the members forms an inwardly turned ledgeportion 50 which has tabs 51 cut therein and bent upwardly, as `shown inFIG. 6, thereby defining open spaces 52 within the ledge portion 50 forreceiving the fianged front and back edges 34 of the partitions, in themanner of the spaces 49. The tabs 51 are bendable transversely by handinto interfering engagement with the partitions inwardly of the edges34, as shown in FIG. 7, to hold the assembly 25 rigid in its expandedposition. A corner detail is shown. in FIG. 9, which may be any one ofthe four lower corners of the nest, showing the manner in which theadjacent tab 51 is received into the corner of the end panels 28 or 29.

The sloping top 60 is secured to the assembly 25 in a manner similar tothat described in connection with the front and back members. The top 60is formed with downwardly turned end flanges 61 at the opposite endsthereof, as shown in FIGS. 1, 5 and 11. In addition, the top 60 isformed with front and back downwardly and inwardly turned rims 64 and65, as clearly shown in FIG. 11. The front and rear rims have tabs 70cut therein defining cut-out openings 71 having a spaced apart distanceequal to that of the partitions for receiving the turned upper ends ofthe partitions, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. The tabs 70 are bendabletransversely to the partitions into contact therewith for holding theassembly 25 rigid at the top, as shown in FIG. 13.

The removable nest pans or bottoms 75 are best shown in FIGS. 14 and 15as having upwardly turned left and right ends 76. The bottoms have adepth corresponding to the depth of the partitions, and are received andsupported along their front and rear edges, as shown in FIG. 14, on theinwardly turned ledge portions 50 of the front and rear members.

A double tiered nest, as described herein, is usually provided with aperch for each row of compartments 22. The lower perch 80 is preferablya double perch making it possible for the hens to jump from thelowerperch to the single upper perch 82.

The perches include a pair of vertical angle-section supports 85 each ofwhich includes an upper single perch .supporting arm S6 and a. lowerdouble perch supporting 4 ventional bolt 91 and nut 92 as indicated inFIG. 10. The lower perch arms similarly include and support a pair ofsuch perch slats.

The angle sections supports 85 of the perches may be suitably secured tothe nest along the front edge 34 of one of the partitions by suitablefastening means. Each of the perch arms S6 and 87 includes a presseddetent 95 which cooperates with a recess 96 formed in the supports $5 tohold the perches in the raised position, as shown in broken outline formin FIG. 5, when it is desired to close the nest.

In the practice of this invention, a majority of the partitions 26 maybe formed in identical manner to each other. Thus, in the embodimentillustrated, all of the partitions 26 and the right end 29 may have allof the flanged edges thereof turned in one direction, and the left end28 may be formed with the flanges turned inwardly in the otherdirection.

The assembly 25 is preferably shipped in the collapsed condition and isreadily expanded to its full length by withdrawing the left and rightends. The front and back members may then be inserted by looping therims 48 over the connecting links 30 and 31 and by bending the tabs 51transversely into interfering engagement with the wall of the adjacentpartition inwardly of the edges 34. No allowance at the tab's 51 is madefor the thickness of the material of the partitions, thus providing aninterference fit at the end of the tab 51, and providing a rigid andself-supporting nest structure. In this manner, each of the frontmembers 49, 41 and back members 44, 45 may be quickly and permanentlyinstalled.

The top 60 may then be put in position, or if desired, it may be put inposition prior to the installation of the front and back members. Thetabs 70 of the top 60 are similarly bent outwardly into interferingengagement with the adjacent partitions or ends, thus locking the top inassembeld position. Thus nest pans or bottoms are inserted by loweringthrough the front openings of the nests. The perch supports may then bereadily attached to the assembled and erected nest by suitable attachingbolts and the wood perch slats may be installed. The perch is then readyto hang on a wall for use.

The modification of the top construction shown in FIGS. 16-19 hascertain advantages in that the top 60 is more readily and quicklyassembled to the sloping top of the partitions and locked into positionwithout the necessity of manipulating or bending tabs. The top 60 inFIG. 16 is formed with a downwardly and inwardly turned front edge orrim 100, which may be formed similarly to the edge 65 of the top 60,except that no tabs are formed therein. The rearward edge of the top60', as well as the sides, terminate in a downwardly turned rim 102.

The modified partitions 26 are each formed with a notch or recess 103 inthe front edge thereof adjacent their top edge to receive the inwardlyturned rims 100. The assembled position of the top 60 on one of thepartitions 26 is shown in FIG. 17 with the rim 100 hooked in the notches103 and with the back rim 102 received over the outer back edge of thepartitions 26. Thus, the rim comprises means on the top engageable withthe/partitions adjacent the upper edge thereof for holding the top andpartitions in assembled relation.

The partitions are preferably provided with further top retainer meansengageable with the top 60 along the back edge thereof for securing thetop in the assembled position, as shown in FIG. 17. This consists of thehanger straps 165, FIG. 19, which are pivotally mounted to each of thepartitions 26 by a rivet 106. The hanger straps 105 are normally foldeddownwardly but may be raised to an erected position for hanging, asshown in FIG. 17, and are provided with a lanced metal tongue whichsnaps out over the top 60 when erected t0 secure the top in place.

The nest of this invention is superior to those which are boltedtogether because of its greater rigidity by reason of increasedmetal-to-metal contact. It can be shipped in the same type of containersas were used with the previous nests and requires only five minutes timefor complete assembly and erection, as compared to approximately 45minutes to 11/2 hours for the nut and bolt type of construction. Theelimination of most of the removable fastening elements results in anest unit which is safer for the poultry, and is easier to keep clean.

While the forms of apparatus herein described constitute preferredembodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the inventionis not limited to these precise forms of apparaus, and that changes maybe made therein without departing from the scope of the invention whichis delined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A laying nest adapted for rapid erection free of removable fasteningdevices, comprising a divider assembly consisting of a plurality ofvertically extending partitions, a plurality of straps extending inpairs between and pivoted at adjacent said partitions providing foropening movement of said assembly from a folded compact position into anoperative position with said separators in spaced apart relation asdefined by said straps, nest front and back members extending the lengthof said opened assembly and each having means engageable with saidassembly at said straps and each having bendable portions engageablewith said partitions to hold said assembly rigid in said extendedposition, and a top extending the length of said opened assembly andhaving means engageable with said partitions adjacent the upper edgethereof for holding said partitions and said top in assembled relation.

2. A laying nest adapted for rapid erection free of removable fasteningdevices, comprising a divider assembly consisting of a plurality ofvertically extentding partitions, a plurality of straps extendingbetween said partitions and pivoted at adjacent said partitionsproviding for opening movement of said assembly from a folded compactposition into an operative position with said separators in spaced apartrelation as defined by said straps, nest front and back membersextending the length of said opened assembly and each having downwardlyturned rim means engageable with said assembly at said straps forsupport thereon and further having an inwardly turned ledge having tabsthereon movable into interfering engagement with said partitions to holdsaid assembly rigid in said extended position, and top means extendingthe length of said opened assembly and engageable with said partitions.

3. A laying nest adapted for rapid erection free of removable fasteningdevices, comprising a divider assembly consisting of a plurality ofvertically extending partitions connected to each other by separate topand bottom straps extending therebetween and pivoted at adjacent saidpartitions providing for opening movement of said assembly from a foldedcompact position into an operative position with said separators inspaced apart relation, nest front and back members extending the lengthof said opened assembly and each having means engageable with saidassembly at said straps and each having a bottom inwardly turned ledgedefining tabs bendable transversely into interfering engagement withsaid partitions to hold said assembly rigid in said extended position, atop extending the length of said opened assembly having front and backdownwardly and inwardly turned rim portions defining tabs bendabletransversely tinto contact with said partitions adjacent the upper edgesthereof, and separate nest bottoms removably received between each ofsaid partitions and proportioned for support on said ledges of saidfront and back members.

4. A laying nest adapted for rapid erection free of removable fasteningdevices, comprising a divider assembly consisting of a plurality ofvertically extending partitions connected to each other along the frontand back edges thereof by opposite pairs of top and bottom strapsextending therebetween and pivoted at adjacent said partitions providingfor opening movement of said assembly from a folded compact positioninto an operative position with said separators in equally spaced apartrelation defined by the length of said straps forming longitudinallyextending rows of straps, nest front and back members extending thelength of said opened assembly and each having a downwardly turned rimengageable with said extended assembly along said rows of straps andeach having a bottom inwardly turned ledge deiiuing tabs bendabletransversely into interfering engagement with the adjacent saidpartitions to hold said assembly rigid in said extended position, a topextending the length of said opened assembly yand formed with front andback downwardly turned rim portions engageable with said partitions, andseparate nest bottoms removably received between each of said partitionsand proportioned for supporting engagement with said ledges of saidfront back members.

5. A sheet metal laying nest adapted for rapid erection free ofremovable connectors, comprising a divider assembly having a pluralityof vertically extending partitions each having transversely turned frontand back flanges, said partitions connected to each other by pairs ofseparate top and bottom straps pivoted at said flanges providing formovement of said assembly from a folded compact position with saidpartitions in contiguous relation into an operative position with saidpartitions being spaced apart a distance delined by the length of saidstraps, upper and lower nest front and back members substantiallyidentical in construction to each other and extending the length of saidopened assembly, each of said members having a downwardly turned upperrim engageable with said assembly along one of said top and bottomstraps and each having a bottom inwardly turned ledge deiiniug tabsbendable transversely into interfering engagement with said partitionsinwardly of said anges to hold said assembly rigid in said openedposition, a top extending the length of said opened assembly and formedwith front and back rim portions engageable with said partitions, andnest bottoms received between each of said partitions and proportionedto engage said inwardly turned flanges of said front and back members.

6. A sheet metal laying nest adapted for rapid erection free ofremovable connection, comprising a divider assembly having a pluralityof vertically extending partitions each having transversely turnedperipheral flanges, said partitions connected to each other by pairs ofseparate top and bottom straps extending from the fronts and backs ofsaid partitions and pivoted at said iianges providing for movement ofsaid `assembly from a folded compact position with said partitions incontiguous relation into an operative position with said separatorsbeing spaced apart a distance deiined by the length of said straps,upper and lower nest front and back members substantially indentical inconstruction and extending the length of said opened assembly, each ofsaid members having a plurality of downwardly turned upper rimsseparated by notches engageable with said assembly along said strapsWith said partitions received in said notches, each of said membershaving a bottom inwardly turned ledge dening tabs bendable transverselyinto interfering engagement with said partitions inwardly of saidflanges to hold said assembly rigid in said expanded position, means inthe front edges of said partitions dening a notch adjacent the upperedge thereof, a top extending the length of said opened assembly andformed with a downwardly and inwardly turned rim along the front edgethereof received in said partition notches, and means on said partitionsengageable with said top at positions along the back edge thereofsecuring said top in assembled position on said partitions.

7. A laying nest adapted for rapid erection free of and removablefastening devices, comprising a divider assembly including a pluralityof vertically extending partitions connected to each other byarticulated members extending therebetween and pivoted at adjacent saidpartitions providing for opening movement of said assembly from a foldedcompact position into an operative position with said separators inspaced apart relation, nest front and back members extending the lengthof said opened assembly and having means engageable therewith to holdsaid assembly rigid in said opened position, means in the front edges ofsaid partitions dening notches adjacent the upper edge thereof, a topextending the length of said assembly and having a downwardly yandinwardly turned front rim received within said notches and a downwardlyReferences Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS990,014 Sharp Apr. 18, 1911 1,895,535 Brecht Jan. 31, 1933 2,633,826Hansen Apr. 7, 1953 2,892,447 Keen etal June 30, 1959

1. A LAYING NEST ADAPTED FOR RAPID ERECTION FREE OF REMOVABLE FASTENINGDEVICES, COMPRISING A DIVIDER ASSEMBLY CONSISTING OF A PLURALITY OFVERTICALLY EXTENDING PARTITIONS, A PLURALITY OF STRAPS EXTENDING INPAIRS BETWEEN AND PIVOTED AT ADJACENT SAID PARTITIONS PROVIDING FOROPENING MOVEMENT OF SAID ASSEMBLY FROM A FOLDED COMPACT POSITION INTO ANOPERATIVE POSITION WITH SAID SEPARATORS IN SPACED APART RELATION ASDEFINED BY SAID STRAPS, NEST FRONT AND BACK MEMBERS EXTENDING THE LENGTHOF SAID OPENED ASSEMBLY AND EACH HAVING MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH SAIDASSEMBLY AT SAID STRAPS AND EACH HAVING BENDABLE PORTIONS ENGAGEABLEWITH SAID PARTITIONS TO HOLD